Breathing apparatus for free divers



1957 D. 1. REBIKOFF ET AL 2,818,

BREATHING APPARATUS FOR FREE; DIVERS Filed Aug. 30, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 31, 1957 D. I. REBIKOFF ET AL 2,318,067

BREATHING APPARATUS FOR FREE DIVERS 2 SheetsSheet 2 Filed Aug. 30, 1955 United States Patent BREATHING APPARATUS FOR FREE DIVERS Dimitri Issaiewitch Rebikoflr, Cannes, and Yves Paul Le Prieur, Nice, France Application August 30, 1955, Serial No. 531,386

Claims priority, application France September 3, 1954 11 Claims. (Cl. 128-142) The present invention relates to breathing means for free divers and particularly those employing a snorkel tube.

Free divers secure their air supply under water from tanks of compressed air. One or more pressure reduction valves supply air to the divers mask upon demand at the correct pressure. Exhalation by the diver serves to evacuate the air between the edge of the mask and the wearers head. Ancillary equipment include an air pressure gauge in the high pressure system, a timer to indicate submersion time and a depth indicator. These may be entirely separate instruments or their presentation may be made by means of concentric dials or pointers within a common case. When the diver is immediately below or at the surface a safe and rapid switch-over to surface air is desirable.

An object of the present invention is to enable a diver to safely and swiftly make the changeover from compressed to free air supply as he surfaces.

Another object thereof is the provision of breathing apparatus including snorkel tube means which permits rapid expulsion of water from the interior of the mask in the course of either deep or surface diving.

Still another object is the provision of a readily-operable means to open such a snorkel tube.

In the preferred form, the above and other objects are achieved by the provision of a snorkel tube in communication at one end with the interior of a diving mask and closed at the other by a valve pivotable to a closed position over the open end thereof and spring biased toward such a position. A rotatable cam bears on one end of a rod which is connected at its other end to said valve so that as said cam is rotated said valve may be opened against the bias of said spring. Other improved breathing means may be combined therewith to achieve maximum efficiency and safety.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, from a consideration of the following description of a few specific embodiments of the invention, shown by way of examples, in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figs. 1, la and lb represent a divers head equipped with a breathing apparatus designed according to the invention and provided with a closeable ventilation pipe,

Fig. 2 shows a breathing apparatus with a tuba according to the invention, the front face of which is modified in order to improve the vision through a glass located nearer the wearers eyes,

Fig. 3 shows a modification in which this short distance afforded by a recessed portion for the nose as in Fig. 2, is provided by means of a recess made of a material capable of being deformed by manual pressure allowing squeezing the divers nose,

Fig. 4 shows another modification of the apparatus of Fig. 3 comprising, on the lower face of the mask, a pressure reducing device having an extension forming a pump for deflooding the mask, and a ice Fig. 5 is a fragmentary front view of an apparatus according to the invention with a lateral pressure reducing device level with the middle of the glass and a lower pump in front of this glass.

In Fig. 1, there is seen the body 1 of the breathing mask provided with a large glass 2 through thelower portion of which extends a fresh air supply pipe 3, and with a ventilation pipe 4 at the upper portion of the mask.

The body 1 of the mask is maintained on the divers head by means of bands 5 and 5'.

The free end of the ventilation pipe 4 is fitted with an obturating member 6, which is represented in closed position in Fig. 1 and in open position in Fig. la. The "obturating member 6 is maintained in closed position by an extension spring 7 which is attached, on one hand, to a support 12 secured to the pipe 4, at the same time serving as a guide for a rod 10 which carries the obturating member and, on the other hand, to a part 13 adapted to slide on the rod 10 and to be jammed thereon obliquely under the action of the spring and the clearance left by the passage reserved to the rod 10. It is thus possible to manually adjust the tension. Opening of the obturating member 6 is effected by actuation of the handle 8 rigid with the cam 9 adapted to push the rod 16) rigidly connected with said obturating member. The cam 9 rotates on a spindle carried by a support 20 secured to the tuba 4 and has a small notch 11 for locking the obturating member 6 in open position when the foot of the rod 10 urged by the spring 7 is engaged into said notch 11. In Fig. i, there is represented, in interrupted lines, and identified by the reference numeral 0, the'position of the handle 8 when the obturating member 6 is open, in the position shown in Fig. 1a.

The obturating member is further guided by the rod 10 extending through a guide 14 and by a shorter rod parallel with the rod 10 and extending through another guide 16, said guides 14- and 16 being secured to the tuba 4.

Fig. lb shows the manner the bands 5, 5 are attached behind the divers head.

In Fig. 2, the same parts are found again and are identified by like reference numbers. The front part 211 of the mask, however, which forms the viewing glass, is not planar, but molded with a hollow protruding portion 17 near the middle thereof. The inner part of this protruding portion is adapted to accommodate the divers nose and, therefore, makes it possible to position the viewing portion nearer the eyes, which is beneficial for widening the divers field of vision and for reducing the dead space of the mask which, otherwise, increases the buoyancy, produces a suction-cup effect and enhances accumulations Of C02.

The transparent front part of the mask 2a will be advantageously made of plastic material rather than glass, without the use of the latter being precluded.

In Fig. 3 is shown an improvement which consists in making the hollow elevated portion of Fig. 2 of a deformable material such as thin rubber 18 which is molded and sealingly secured in the transparent face 2b. Since this hollow elevated portion 13 which surrounds the nose may be deformed by a pressure of the swimmers fingers, there is the possibility for the swimmer to squeeze his nostrils when his Eustaches trumps need being cleared. This is the conventional practice used by divers when descending; they balance the air pressure on both sides of their tympanum by blowing air from their lungs into their Eustaches trumps, while keeping their mouth closed and their nose squeezed.

In Fig. 4, there is shown, in addition to the apparatus of Fig. 3, a conventional pressure reducing device secured to the lower portion of the front part "212 of the mask. The wet diaphragm of this device receives the water pressure through the communication port 22 upon its front side while the closed chamber 23 communicates with the interior of the mask 1 through a hole 24. The air, the pressure of which is already reduced once at the exit from the bottles, is supplied by the tube 3 which opens into the chamber 23. The pressure of the air again is adjusted by the diaphragm acting upon the valve 25 through a lever 26 pivotally connected as at 27 to the center of the diaphragm 21, so that the valve 25 lets air flow into the mask whenever the outer pressure increases or the inner pressure decreases as the diver inspires. An lllCl ed safety is obtained through an outer push member 23 which, through the medium of a lever 29, for instance, enables the diver to operate manually the diaphragm 21 in order purposely to let air into the mask.

In front of the pressure reducing device is arranged a pump 31 which is manually operable and of the bellows type, for instance. This pump is connected through a sucking valve 32 and a pipe 33 with the lowermost point of the mask cavity and is therefore able to suck out any water gathered therein.

The pump discharges such water through a discharge valve 34.

The diver manually operates the bellows of the pump directly by means of a handle 55 secured to its front wall 36 In Fig. 5, apart from the members of the mask which have already been described there are represented the pressure reducing valve and the pump separately. The pump positioned as at 37, at the lowermost portion of the mask is of the sucking and discharging type and is operable by means of the handle 38.

The pressure reducing valve is positioned laterally sub stantially level with the middle of the mask front.

The tuba 4 still arranged at the upper part of the mask is here shown in front view and in part only.

Obviously, the tuba 4 may be made of the same material as the mask or of a similar material and bonded thereto, the tubular portion being rigid enough for securing a safe operation and for affording the positioning of the various supports secured on said tuba? This tuba may also be constituted by a hollow molded base 4 with a watertight extension constituted by a rigid pipe 4a firmly secured to the base 4 (Fig. 4).

This rigid tube may be of metal or of a hard undeformable plastic material.

Finally, as diagrammatically shown in Fig. 4, the valve 6 may be constituted of a rigid material lined over its bearing surface with a resilient deformable sealing washer 6a, whereby the tuba is more ei'ficiently obturated.

As many changes could be made in the above construction, and many widely ditlerent embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope of the claims, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What we claim is:

1. In an individual breathing apparatus for a diver comprising a mask, a transparent viewing panel, said mask being resiliently secured against the divers head in water-tight relation therewith while the air expired is al lowed to escape around the divers face, a fresh air supply from at least one bottle carried by the diver connected with the inside of the mask whereby the diver is able to breathe through his nose and month, said air supply being controlled by at least one pressure reducing valve, said apparatus comprising means for controlling the pressure, the quantity of air left, the depth of operation and the duration of operation, the provision of a hollow base positioned at the portion of the mask near the forehead of the diver and adapted for connection of a tube intended for breathing the open air while the diver is near the water level, the outer end of said tube being normally obturated by an outer valve which is guided and adapted to come into engagement with said end of the said tube under the action of a spring, said valve being adapted to be opened and maintained in open position under the action of a cam adapted to cooperate with a rod secured said valve, said cam being mounted for rotational movement under the action of manually operable means.

2. The combination of claim 1, wherein said rod is rigid with said valve is mounted for sliding movement parallel with said tube and has one end adapted to engage a notch provided on said operating cam at the end of the longer radius thereof, whereby said valve is locked in open position and said cam is locked with respect to said rod as long as the diver does not operate said cam to cause said valve to close.

3. The combination of claim 1, wherein one end of said spring is attached to a plate having a hole of larger diameter than that of said operating rod, said rod being threaded in said hole.

4. The combination of claim 1, wherein said tube is made of a same material as the plastic edges of the mask and has a thickness sufiicient for affording suitable rigidity of said tube and making it possible for the supports for the cam as well as the stationary hooking support for the spring and the means for guiding the obturating valve to be mounted thereon.

5. The combination of claim 1, wherein the hollow base for connecting the tube is solid with the mask and made of plastic material, while the portion of the tube which constitutes an extension for said hollow base is made of another rigid material sealingly secured to said connection hollow base.

6. The combination of claim 1, wherein said mask has a transparent rigid face at least in the zone thereof serving as a viewing pane in front of the divers eyes and having, level with the divers nose when the mask is in position, a hollow portion for accommodating the diver's nose, whereby the viewing pane is positioned in immediate proximity to the divers eyes.

7. The combination as defined in claim 6, wherein the hollow portion adapted to accommodate the divers nose is made of a thin deformable material protruding outwardly into the water, whereby the diver is able to squeeze his nose through the medium of said deformable material.

8. The combination of claim 1, wherein the pressure reducing valve is secured on the front part of the mask and has a diaphragm with its outer side subjected to the pressure of the surrounding water, while a sucking and discharging manual pump is secured as a forward extension of said pressure reducing device said pump being connected to the lower most point of the mask below the divers mouth.

9. The combination of claim 1, wherein the pressure reducing valve is secured laterally of the mask at a location thereof substantially level with the central portion of said mask and wherein manually operable means are provided for opening said pressure reducing valve and a manually operable sucking and discharging pump secured at the lower portion of the mask is adapted for sucking from said lower portion any water gathered therein between its wall and the divers face and to discharge it out of the mask.

10. Snorkel closure means for use with a diving mask worn in water-tight relation about a divers face, comprising a hollow tube extending from said mask, one end being in communication with the interior thereof, a valve normally closing the other end of said tube, a spring mounted at one end to said tube and connected by the other end to said valve biasing said valve toward a closed position, and manually operable means connected to said valve to open the same in opposition to the biasing action of said spring.

11. Snorkel closure means for use with a diving mask worn in water-tight relation about a divers face, coniprising a hollow tube extending from said mask, one end 'end of said rod, manually operable means to rotate said being in communication with the interior thereof, a valve cam and thereby push said rod in a direction to open said mounted to said tube to close the free end thereof, spring valve against the bias of said spring.

biasing means connected to said tube and valve normally biasing said valve to a closed position, a rod slideably 5 Refemmes Cited in the file of this Patcnt mounted to said tube and connected at one end to said UNITED STATES PATENTS valve, a cam rotatably mounted to said tube in contact with the other end of said tube in contact with the other 2488261 Bedini 1949 

